Cauliflower + Buttermilk Dumpling Soup
I know a lot of adults with pretty fine palettes, & I love knowing what childhood meals they grew up eating. Like what meals were mom + dad signature dishes. & they went nuts for them. It’s a pretty frequent dinner table question I pose to friends…..partially because I know many of their parents and also because I love talking about what my mom (Linda) whipped up when I was a kid. There were an array of her meals I would genuinely get pretty excited about - stir fry, taco night, chicken tortilla soup. Another one of her banger hits was chicken & dumplings. It was like when chicken & dumpling made the weekly menu, It was going to be a good week. No dinner time dread or eye rolls served with a personal requests for boxed Mac n’ cheese. Instead, my five year old self could be seen air punching with excitement.
It was a pretty traditional situation at my house - shredded chicken + peas + carrots + celery + dumplings. But man did I love it! I’ve tried a few times to make my own, & it never really made the cut of “we should have this again.” That all changed a couple weeks ago with the Cauliflower + Buttermilk Dumpling Soup. I made mine meatlesss, used a buttermilk dumpling recipe as Inspo, and added in hella herb to create my twist on a Linda classic. Not totally a copy of the childhood meal I remember, but very close and a total banger.
Carrots + cauli
I’m pretty notorious at my house for putting cauliflower in just about anything. My exact phrase to Jordan going something like “I’ll put cauliflower in fucking anything.” So cauliflower + dumplings was no different.
The soup is pretty packed with veggies - caramelized & then simmered in broth for all the good flavors. My tip: keep the carrots chunky. I love semi chunky carrot disks because they get tender + super flavorful. Really damn tasty in this soup.
I treated the cauliflower just like the chicken - putting it in the soup at the very end. Just long enough so the chunky florets get soft + tender. To be noted: I kept the cauliflower chunky. Think large, bite-size florets, and that’s pretty key so the cauliflower keeps its shape + doesn’t essentially dissolve in the soup. Worked like a freaking dream!
Broth to veggie ratio
Truth be told - I’ve had my share of chicken + dumpling failures. This one was a win, & that was because the broth to veggie ratio was delightful. What needs to be avoided is too much broth, & over brothing is something I tend to do. The problem with this is if you’ve got too much broth, it’s too soupy, + the dumplings kind of sink. I mean they still cook & taste great (the dough won’t like dissolve into the soup), but the whole uncover the pot to see your perfect little dumpling resting nicely on top of the soup is totally lost. & that’s such a fun part! Like when you take the lid off the pot & just see those dainty dumpling nuggets - it’s a win.
You want a hearty soup, & the ratio of the veggies to broth in the recipe below elicits just that. Chunky + hearty is the vibe, so I’m now resisting any urge to double up the broth. It’s bad news, & now I know it.
Herby dumplings
Now the dumplings. The signature part of my mom’s chicken + dumplings was the pillowy dumpling. So soft with this unique, & very delightful, texture on the outside. I used to tell her I liked them because they were “different than other breads.” I now know that because of steaming the dumplings right on top of the soup - keeping the inside soft + fluffy & giving the outside a very delicate little crust. The dumpling in this soup were exactly the same! Just pillowy + light + flavorful + so good.
I amped up my moms traditional dumplings with herbs + buttermilk. A lot of chives, which is an addition I don’t think Linda has ever tried (she’s more of a purest), but one I think she’d enjoy now. Still the most pillowy bread bites to sop up the soup with.
One of the most warm + comforting meals that’s simple + special. Perfect meal to fit in before we officially close out Winter 2021.
For the soup
4 tbsp butter
2 leeks, sliced
3 large carrots, sliced into disks
4 celery ribs
2 tbsp flour
6 c. Chicken broth
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
Salt + pepper
Extra cheese, chives, and hot sauce for serving (love this with Frank’s red hot or Truff hot sauce)
For the dumplings
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 heaping tbsp fresh chives, thinly sliced
Pinch of salt + cayenne
3 tbsp cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 c. + 1 tbsp buttermilk
Place a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter + melt. Add in the leeks, cooking for 4-5 minutes so they’re soft + tender. Add in the carrots and celery, cooking another 8-10 minutes (should be lightly caramelize). Stir in the flour, + mix so a rue starts to form. Toast the flour with veggies for only about a minute, and then add in the broth. Turn the heat to high, stir, + bring the soup to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add in the cauliflower florets, and cover the soup. Cook for 10 minutes while you make the dumplings.
Make the dumpling dough. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, the chives, + the seasonings. Add in the butter, cutting it into the dough with a pastry blender until the butter chunks are like small pea size. Add in the milk + stir to form a sticky dough.
Using a large spoon, gently place dollops of the dumpling dough on top of the soup. Do this gently so the dumplings sit right on on top. Cover + cook for 20 minutes.
Scoop the soup into bowls + serve with a bit of parm or mozz, a sprinkle of leftover chives, + hot sauce. I loved topping mine with a drizzle of Truffle hot sauce, so I highly recommend going that route.